CUFOA

Canadian Unlicensed Firearms Owners Association
Association canadienne des propriétaires d’armes sans permis

CUFOA Report to RFOA

Responsible Firearms Owners of Alberta Annual General Meeting
Red Deer, Alberta
Saturday, 05 June 2010

Greetings from the members of CUFOA to the RFOA at your AGM.

Jack Wilson & I are glad to be here today. Even though our associations employ different methods, we enjoy the mutual support of having the same objective – the repeal of the licencing mandate of the Firearms Act.

In review of CUFOA’s recent activity I have four points I would like to cover:

A. The Bruce & Donna Montague Constitutional Challenge

As you are aware, in February Bruce & Donna were unsuccessful at the Ontario Court of Appeal. CUFOA had submitted an application for intervener status but in brief, terse decision, the Ontario Court of Appeal denied our application.

Doug Christie has filed an application for Bruce & Donna for Leave to Appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.

If Bruce & Donna are successful in obtaining leave to appeal, we will do everything we can to have CUFOA become an active intervener before the Supreme Court, but we will be taking that next step without the benefit of a lawyer as we exhausted our funding at the Toronto appeal.

B. Challenge to Criminal Code section 117.03
– seizure & confiscation without charge; destruction orders without conviction

In Saskatchewan last September we lost our challenged to licencing before the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal, and this past January the Supreme Court denied our application for Leave to Appeal.

We are now moving ahead with a different constitutional challenge to s. 117.03.

We are attacking the Government’s ability to seize & confiscate our firearms without laying any charges. We maintain that before the Government can order the destruction of our firearms, we must be found guilty of a criminal charge.

We lost the first round in Provincial Court last month, but we are preparing our appeal to Court of Queen’s Bench for the fall.

C. Property Rights to be Enshrined in Saskatchewan Bill of Rights

Following the inspirational lead of Dale Blue and his tenacious involvement in provincial politics here in Albert, after a two year battle we were successful this past March in passing a binding resolution at the Saskatchewan Party Convention that should ultimately see the Government of Saskatchewan enshrine the right to own individual property within the Saskatchewan Human Rights Act.

We still have to overcome some Government resistance within our own Party, but we hope to report success in this initiative before the next Saskatchewan provincial election in 2011.

D. The Conservative & Bill C-391

We are VERY disappointed in Mr. Harper & the Conservatives and their pushing Bill C-391 as if this bill were the answer to our prayers.

We do NOT regard Bill C-391 as a “good step step.”

We regard Bill C-391 as a Fatal, final step.

We all need to remind our Members of Parliament that licensing is what destroys our Right to have ‘Armes for their Defense.’

We helped elect them to repeal the entire Firearms Act – not perpetuate licensing.

Thank you for this opportunity to be with you.

Sincerely,

Edward B. Hudson DVM, MS
Secretary

Canadian Unlicensed Firearms Owners Association
Association canadienne des propriétaires d’armes sans permis
402 Skeena Court Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7K 4H2
(306) 242-2379 (306) 230-8929
edwardhudson@shaw.ca
www.cufoa.ca

Resolution for submission to the
Saskatchewan Party Convention March 2010
Saskatchewan Party Policy

Policy Number JS05-17
A motion to amend

An Amendment to The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, Part I, Bill of Rights

WHEREAS, the primary duty of any government is to ensure that the rights and freedoms of its people are protected, and

WHEREAS, property and civil rights are provincial jurisdiction under section 92 (13) of the British North America Act, 1867, and

WHEREAS, the previously enacted Saskatchewan Bill of Rights of 1947, now known as the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, is inadequate in that it does not protect property,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Government of Saskatchewan shall amend the current Saskatchewan Human Rights Code to enshrine the individual’s Right to own property.

Moved by Saskatoon-Meewasin Constituency Executive 14 October 2009.

Seconded by Saskatoon-Massey Place Constituency Executive 22 October 2209.

Existing Saskatchewan Party Policy

JS05-17 Enshrining Right to Property in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Be it resolved that a Saskatchewan Party government will support an amendment to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that would enshrine the individual’s right to own property in the Constitution of Canada.

The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code

PART I
BILL OF RIGHTS

4. Right to freedom of conscience
5. Right to free expression
6. Right to free association
7. Right to freedom from arbitrary imprisonment
8. Right to elections

Correcting an NDP Omission;

A genuine, authentic
Saskatchewan Bill of Rights

The British North America Act, 1867 (The Constitution Act, 1982) s. 92 (13) states:

“Property and Civil Rights in the Province”.

This means that the Provincial Governments are charged with protecting these Rights.

Yet Québec is the only province that has a Charter of Rights and Freedoms that is not a simple anti-discriminatory statute, but a genuine fundamental law largely inspired by international documents.

When Tommy Douglas and the CCF passed the Saskatchewan Bill of Rights in 1947 they omitted the protection of property.

In 1979 when Allan Blakeney’s NDP government incorporated the Saskatchewan Bill of Rights into the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code they again omitted property Rights.

When Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and the Liberals passed The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982, Saskatchewan’s NDP Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Roy Romanow was instrumental in ensuring that the protection of private property was excluded from the new Charter.

The Québec Charter is a fundamental law that takes precedence over other laws, and according to the Supreme Court, possesses a quasi-constitutional status.

The Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms

6. Every person has a right to the peaceful enjoyment and free disposition of his property, except to the extent provided by law.

7. A person's home is inviolable.

8. No one may enter upon the property of another or take anything therefrom without his express or implied consent.

Saskatchewan Party Guiding Principles

1. Economic growth and job creation through the private sector, not government, as the engine of the economy;
2. Smaller, less intrusive, more efficient government;
3. Steady, gradual reduction in government spending and taxation while maintaining a firm commitment to balanced budgets;
4. A high-quality health care system for all Saskatchewan people, regardless of where they live within the province;
5. A strong social safety net which protects those who truly need support while encouraging individuals to become self sufficient;
6. Democratic reform to make government more responsive to the people it serves;
7. Individual freedom and the equality of opportunity for all citizens; and
8. The constant improvement of Saskatchewan's economic and social conditions within a strong and united Canada

http://www.saskparty.com/principles_policies.html

http://www.saskparty.com/assets/pdf/Party%20Documents/SaskatchewanPartyPolicyBook.pdf